The hiring of Rivers almost certainly will ensure that All-NBA point guard Chris Paul will re-sign with the Clippers after Paul becomes a free agent in July. With Paul in the fold for the long-term, the Clippers are expected eventually to entertain a trade involving their backup point guard, Eric Bledsoe.

At 23 years old, Bledsoe could provide the Magic with a talented, young point guard who could become the eventual heir to Jameer Nelson.

The Clippers and the Magic reportedly discussed a potential deal last month that would include Bledsoe and Orlando shooting guard Arron Afflalo as its centerpieces.

The Clippers almost certainly will sound out other teams' interest in Bledsoe as the Clippers try to ensure they receive the best possible deal for their young point guard.

Bledsoe has played three NBA seasons, and he is on schedule to become a restricted free agent after the 2013-14 season, which is one reason the Clippers would seek to trade him.

The Clippers also would like to upgrade on the wing, and Afflalo would help.

Bledsoe, who is 6-feet-1, can become a strong defender.

But he still has significant work left to do on his game, especially his offensive game.

He dramatically improved his 3-point shooting, raising his accuracy from behind the arc from 20.0 percent in 2011-12 to 39.7 percent in 2012-13.

But he averaged just 1.70 assists per turnover in 2012-13. That was one of the worst assist-to-turnover ratios among NBA point guards.

Watch party

The Magic will host a draft watch party Thursday at the Magic Grill at Amway Center.

The event is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., and admission will be free to the public.

jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.